Sherline CNC Conversion Electronics PMDX Selection Help

[c5h5nino]

Hello all,

New member of the thread just joined yesterday. As of a couple of days ago I bought a new Sherline mill with a bunch of accessories and almost everything to convert it to CNC. I would like to purchase the rest of the components from PMDX but I would like some help.

With the Craig's List purchase I received:

3x Sanyo Denki Step Syn (Nema 23) Stepper motors, 2A DC 1.8deg step (103H7126-5710)
http://datasheet.octopart.com/103H7126-5710-Sanyo-Denki-datasheet-8448004.pdf

3x RTA Pavia 24-45 VDC (CSD02.V) stepper motor control boards.
http://www.automotsys.com.au/RTA_CSD02049294_color.pdf

The machine also came with Sherline's 4th axis and controller

I posted a similar post on the CNCZone.com forum and received a response suggesting I look into PMDX components, which brought me here...

My dilemma is the mind blowing array of breakout boards available. If anyone could please recommend the necessary PMDX components (breakout board, power supply, etc) that will interface with the components I already have (listed above) to complete the CNC conversion of the mill I would be very grateful!

Thank you in advance,
Lewis

[Steve Stallings]

Lewis,

The motors and drivers that you have should work fine with a Sherline.

The product data sheet for the drivers is not quite sufficient for wiring up the drivers.
A full manual in PDF format was found here:

www.metalwork.it/download/manual/CSD_ME04.pdf

You will need a suitable power supply to run these drivers. I would recommend
a 24 VDC supply rated for 4 or 5 amperes.

If your rotary table is this setup from Sherline, you have a dilemma. The motor
and controller on it are set up for unipolar drive. To use the table with one of
your new drivers, you will need to replace the motor or at least rewire it for
bipolar operation. When this is done, you can no longer use it with the Sherline
controller.

http://www.sherline.com/8700pg.htm

It is possible to use the Sherline controller to run the table and accept step and
direction signals from a CNC system, but the connector is small and not easy to
solder for those not experienced with this type of work.

Before I recommend a breakout board, can you state your preference for control
software to run on the PC? Common choices include Mach3, Mach4, and LinuxCNC.

If you want the solution that requires the least fuss with wiring, I suggest that
you look at the PMDX-340 prewired driver box that includes the breakout board,
motor drivers, and power supply.

[c5h5nino]

Thank you for the reply and the valuable info! Yes, the fourth axis is a Sherline setup.  I think for now I will use it with the Sherline controller and if I decide later to use it for full 4th axis work I will get another stepper.  I will be using Mach 3 software.  I did see the pre assembled controller.  It is definitely an option at this point but I wouldn't mind getting my hands a little dirty.

Thanks again,
Lewis

[Steve Stallings]

In that case a simple PMDX-122 should do the trick fine. You will need a parallel port
cable to connect to it and it will need a 5 volt DC power source. You can use a USB
cable to provide the power, but the USB will not be the control interface.

[c5h5nino]

Steve,

I purchased the PMDX-122 as suggested I have everything wired up and I have the pins set in mach3.  The steppers are engaged, but I am not getting any movement from the jog functions in Mach3. Any further troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
Lewis

[Bob at PMDX]

I purchased the PMDX-122 as suggested I have everything wired up and I have the pins set in mach3.  The steppers are engaged, but I am not getting any movement from the jog functions in Mach3. Any further troubleshooting tips?

The most common cause of this kind of problem is having the step and direction signals swapped, with the step output from Mach3 going to the direction input on the driver, and vice versa.  If that is the case, if you try to jog an axis back and forth, you should be able to hear the motor take one step each time you from one direction to the other.  Actually, it will be one step each time you go from "plus" to "minus" direction, or from "minus" to "plus", depending on the polarities of the step/dir signals.

So... Double check the step and direction settings in Mach3 in the Configure->Ports&Pins, Motor Outputs tab, and make sure they match the actual wiring from the PMDX-122 to your motor drivers.

Bob